Homecoming

Bracing for good ol’ braces, both girls get x-rays taken. Facial skeletons revealed. One daughter’s chin appears thin and pointy. We laugh. Yeah, we never knew that little skeleton was in her closet. One daughter can’t quite seem to master the x-ray technique. We laugh more. Molds are made, and their eyes bulge from the daunting task. I cover my face with my new financial payment plan. Lord, please don’t let me laugh out loud. Don’t let me make them laugh. Don’t let me be the cause of them moving and messing up yet another x-ray.After arriving home, one daughter says, “Mom, he really wants me to go to Homecoming with him.” She smiles. You really like him, don’t you?

“Sure, sweetie, you can go.” He’s a sweet boy. He loves Jesus. He’s been a good friend. I trust him with a valuable possession.She smiles. She’s so thrilled.“What do we need to buy?” I ask.“He says I’ll need a dress.” She beams.I walk upstairs and rummage through her closet. Just as suspected. We need something new.With homeschooling, I’ve been out of the typical school scene for quite some time. I begin my Google search for: “Homecoming Dresses” … I ask a few friends. As I pick my chin up off the floor, I wonder, will my daughter even be able to attend?This Homecoming Queen did not realize what Homecoming had turned into … until now. Something has gone awry …

Things change. I’m not as young as I used to be.

And yeah, I’m probably more protective than most. Want a reason? Yeah, this girl has a few pointy heart-stabbing skeletons in her closet. But sadly, I know every one of them. They are uncovered in my heart, covering me in shame. Friend to friend, I would never want you to know. Details are gut-wrenching to my heart. Who was I?It all begins with … what are we willing to compromise? Do we know God’s requirements? Do we care? Do we know where God stands? Do we make His stand our stand?The dresses girls are being requested to wear this Homecoming 2014? Baring nearly all or barely covering all. Modest dresses are few and far between. The bare bones, barely covering all, will cost some $100-$400 today.But my girl … we found her dress. Yeah, first store, first and only one tried on. God with us. He is Emmanuel.

The dress is elegant … classic … it’s not revealing … the length comes down nearly to her knees … it swooshes like a bell … she won’t be top-tugging all evening. Yeah, I’ve seen that with other girls.

$50.We found the sweetest sparkly, diamond type shoes with a small heel. More than $50.

And we found the cutest elegant, black thigh-length shorts to wear underneath so she can rock it, should she so choose, without rocking others. Without shattering her reputation. Without shattering God’s. $5.I’ve talked to my daughter, God’s daughter, about dressing modest. Our way of life all these years. And friend to friend, I am doing my best to pass down the hard lessons I have learned to my girls.Lord, don’t let the mistakes, the lessons learned—the awful skeletons in my closet—be in vain. And thank you for letting me be your daughter.Because she loves children, I remind her that every young man is some mother’s baby. If you had a baby son, daughter … dress like you would want a young woman to dress for your son, your treasured possession. She gets that.Coming out into the world doesn’t mean we have to compromise or blend with the world. God says you don’t have to follow. Yeah, it’s a daunting task. But daughter, we need more leaders in our world.Young daughter, do you know that you possess something sacred? Something sacred that only awaits your future husband.Young daughter, you don’t want skeletons in your closet. Trust me. You don’t want to have to search for peace or wait to see how God will work all things together for good. When all purity has been stripped away, you don’t want to have to witness God fashion skin over the bony skeleton. But thank you, God, for fashioning skin over me.You don’t want years of tears. Trust me.Obey Him. The One True God. Master that x-ray technique by spending time with the Master. When you cover your heart and head with the plans He has laid out for you, young daughter. When you care more about Him than you do for others, or what you wear, or what others see.

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces” (Matthew 7:6).

No matter how far we’ve strayed or how many skeletons we have in our closet, God pleads, “Come home.” Come home to Him. Dress for Him. Be God’s Daughter. If we dress for Him, we won’t have to wonder if we’re appropriate. We won’t be covered in shame. We won’t take part in creating skeletons or more skeletons in our closets. Our lives can be open books.

Come Home, daughters. God’s Home.You are a valuable possession, God’s Daughter. A diamond. A precious jewel. Something new. You can be made new.

Don’t tarnish that.Remember you are made and molded in the image of the One who made you. Things like that don’t change over time.You only get this one chance in life. Regardless of your age, young daughter, be intentional how you live it. I wish I had been intentional.Come Home.

Shelli, my 14 yr old daughter and I loved this post. She googled 'homecoming dresses' after and said, “Ew!” when she saw the dresses that showed up. We love the one you both chose. It's hard to be a Proverbs girl in a perverted world. Love protects.

Thank you, Wendy! I spoke with a group of high school girls on Sunday … one said she buys a long formal dress and has it altered to her knee. She's a basketball player! Great idea. The others did the same “ew” over the dresses they saw and see! I was tickled at their responses. Glad that other girls are noticing it, as well, and doing something about it.